A newly-appointed leader is often one who is quick to judge and make radical changes. He will not hesitate to take measures to ensure that nothing goes wrong on his first outing so as to impress his superiors and followers, even if it means making unpopular decisions others will rail at. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. When you are suddenly entrusted with total command, your mind will be so fixated on impressing that you will tend to overdo things. It’s only human nature.

If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it. If the system is fine, then don’t meddle with it. Making a drastic change to it might just cause that system to malfunction even if it was not the initial intention. By insisting that everyone adapts to your working style simply means that you’re trying too hard to force things to go your way. And not understanding how the system works and undermining the capabilities of each person just demonstrates your inability to manage your resources to achieve the optimal results.

Impatience and insularity are not virtues of a good leader. Being judgmental and jumping to conclusions are not desirable qualities either. To be respected as a leader by others is the highest form of compliments that can be paid to you. But to earn it, you have first got to be unpretentious and show some humility. Remember that nobody owes you a living; so if you start showing them some respect first, maybe they will start giving you some too. What makes a great leader is not in his ability to win a battle but to win the hearts of his men to win the war for him.